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Thursday, July 26, 2018

Notebook: Kirk Cousins transitions into the Vikings’ offense

Kirk Cousins is transitioning into a new offense in tandem with offensive coordinator John DeFilippo. Find out how the transition is going. Also, Daniel House takes you inside his training camp notebook.

Updated: July 26, 2018, 6:50 p.m.

By: Daniel House

Quarterback Kirk Cousins has been on the job for just a few short
months, but the Vikings’ big free agent acquisition is already becoming
acquainted in Minnesota.

For any quarterback, it’s an adjustment to learn a new playbook and
system. However, this situation is unique as both Cousins and offensive coordinator
John DeFilippo joined the team this offseason. Due to time constraints associated
with spring practice time, having Cousins report early for the rookie practice
sessions has helped ease the transition.

“I think it is great for Kirk and great for all of the quarterbacks to
be here,” DeFilippo said.

“We are so time limited in the spring when installing a new offense,
and now it was just rush, rush, rush. We are so time limited with the players,
and now we can get into the nuts and bolts of what you are trying to do.”

The nuts and bolts are starting to put together the larger pieces of
an offensive installation. All of the concepts the team put in during the
spring, along with the additional plays yet to come in training camp, will test
everyone on the roster, including Cousins. However, the melting pot of concepts
from Pat Shurmur’s previous system and the new additions from DeFilippo will
help ease the transition. Overall, the offense is starting to become natural
for Cousins, particularly.

“The terminology is starting to become my first language as opposed to
my second language,” Cousins explained. “I don’t find myself reverting back to
how we used to call things in the past at other places I was at.”

Everything is feeling easier for Cousins, including making the correct
reads and calls at the line of scrimmage. Now, he can just read, react and make
plays, while getting acquainted with his teammates.

“I feel like I’m able to just go play,” Cousins said. “By no means do
I feel like I’m there, and it’s done, but I’m certainly farther along than I
was in April.”

As Cousins adjusts to a new team, having teammates who are easy to
lead is making the transition easier. The willingness of players like wide receivers
Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen to continually improve and push others, helps the
new Vikings quarterback.

“They love playing this game,” Cousins said. “There are people in this
league who love what football brings them, but they don’t really love football.
We’ve got a lot of guys on this team who love football, regardless of what it
brings them and that’s obviously fun to work with and play with.”

Practice
Notes:

The Vikings have a very talented stable of undrafted free agents at
the wide receiver position. They spent money in undrafted free agency to add
both Jeff Badet and Korey Robertson. In addition to those names, they signed
Northern Illinois slot receiver Chad Beebe, the son of former Bills and Packers
wide receiver Don Beebe. During today’s practice, Beebe got open twice for two notable
reps. However, with no press coverage or pads, it’s a very small observation. He
has quick, light feet off the line of scrimmage and can make plays out of
the slot.

During one 11-on-11 passing drill, Beebe won with an excellent start
and feet to grab a quick slant. Later in the practice, Kirk Cousins delivered a
corner route to Beebe, who gained extensive separation out of the break.
Cousins through the pass with anticipation to the sideline and drove the throw to the hashes. This is a route he executed at a high level during his time
in Washington. Cousins dropped a similar throw into Tyler Conklin during a
7-on-7 drill as well, just past the outstretched arms of safety Jack Tocho. Conklin
is another player to keep a close eye on during padded practices to see how he
gets open in tight physical coverage situations.

In addition, Cayleb Jones continues to show off the ball skills, which
made him stand out last year. In various drills, he tracked two notable passes outside
his frame. The wide catch radius and contested grab ability separates him from
other targets in the hunt for a roster spot.

Another observation worth noting is how smooth Mike Hughes looks from
a footwork standpoint. He is extremely fluid and you can see all of the
transition quickness in and out of his backpedal. His hip turn and fluidity at
the stem of routes allow him to stay tight to wide receivers. He is continuing
to evolve technically and will be one of the most exciting players to watch
when the team starts pressing at the line of scrimmage in DB/WR drills. Hughes’
preseason performance could shape how the Vikings approach the nickel
cornerback spot this season.

In addition, after watching Holton Hill and seeing him in person, I
wonder whether he could play a hybrid cornerback/safety role. Perhaps this
could be a sub-package where he uses all of the size and athleticism in his
skill-set. His well-rounded playing style, including his tackling ability lead
me to believe this could be possible. Right now, it feels like cornerback is
the natural spot, but it’s not to say he couldn’t be used in a role like this
in the future.

On defense, there’s two other young players I’m excited to see as camp
progresses. One is linebacker Devante Downs. He is very rangy and has the athleticism
to cover plenty of ground sideline-to-sideline. I’ve talked about this extensively
in recent pieces. The first few days have been a glimpse, but watching him get
downhill and show off his range has been intriguing. In a thin position group,
if Downs plays well when camp get physical, it would be an excellent addition to
the depth chart.

The second player on defense is safety Tray Matthews. Matthews battled
through multiple shoulder injuries at Auburn and still managed to produce. He
has a strong upper build and is a physical presence in the backend,
specifically against the run. The main area I want to see later in camp is his
coverage skills. When he was placed on an island, it was one of his weaknesses
at Auburn. He has caught my eye and is someone I had completely forgotten
about.

There has been plenty of attention surrounding CFL free agent signing
Brandon Zylstra. The Spicer, Minn. native is trying to carve out a role as one
of the final wide receivers on Minnesota’s depth chart. His size, versatility
and ability after the catch have garnered plenty of attention from many,
including offensive coordinator John DeFilippo.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing that next step from Brandon, in
terms of putting the pads on,” DeFilippo said. “Obviously we have no pads on in
the spring, we have no pads on here right now, so guys like Brandon that don’t
have a lot of experience in the NFL, along with our rookies and some of our
other young players.”

“I’m looking forward to them when we’re getting press coverage, when
we’re moving around a little bit,” he said.